Method for forming a pattern and liquid ejection apparatus

Abstract

A light blocking member is formed of a light absorbing material and arranged across a straight line extending between a radiating position on a substrate onto which a laser beam is radiated and a nozzle. The light blocking member is formed by a rectangular frame projecting from a nozzle surface of the nozzle plate toward the substrate. The light blocking member is arranged so as to encompass the outer circumference of the nozzle. The blocking height of the light blocking member is set to a value equal to the sum of the blocking width and the nozzle diameter. The light blocking member blocks reflected diffuse light that has been reflected and diffused at the radiating position.

1 . A method for forming a pattern by ejecting droplets of a liquid containing a pattern forming material from ejection ports defined in a liquid ejection head onto a substrate, moving the substrate to a radiating position of a laser beam, and radiating the laser beam onto the droplets on the substrate when the droplets reach the radiating position, the method comprising: 
 blocking the laser beam that has been reflected by the substrate toward the ejection ports by a light blocking member, the light blocking member being provided across a straight line extending between the radiating position and any of the ejection ports, thereby preventing the laser beam from reaching the ejection ports.    
   
   
       2 . A liquid ejection apparatus having a liquid ejection head, a laser radiation device, and a movement device, an ejection port being defined in the liquid ejection head to face a substrate, a droplet of a liquid being ejected from the ejection port onto the substrate, the laser radiation device radiating a laser beam onto the substrate, the movement device moving the substrate relative to the laser radiation device to send the droplet on the substrate to a radiating position of the laser beam, the apparatus comprising: 
 a light blocking member, the light blocking member blocking the laser beam that has been reflected by the substrate toward the ejection port to prevent the laser beam from reaching the ejection port,    wherein the light blocking member is arranged across a straight line extending between the radiating position and the ejection port.    
   
   
       3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the light blocking member is provided on a surface of the liquid ejection head facing the substrate, the light blocking member projecting from the surface of the liquid ejection head toward the substrate.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the light blocking member encompasses the outer circumference of the ejection port.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the light blocking member encompasses the ejection port, and 
 wherein the following expression is satisfied: Arctan((Ws+R)/Hs)<θi, in which θi represents the incident angle of the laser beam with respect to the substrate, R represents the inner diameter of the ejection port, Ws represents the distance between the light blocking member and the ejection port, and Hs represents the projection height of the light blocking member.    
   
   
       6 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the light blocking member absorbs the laser beam.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the light blocking member has a plurality of grooves, and wherein the laser beam that has been reflected by the substrate is multiply reflected by the inner sides of the grooves and thus attenuated.  
   
   
       8 . A liquid ejection apparatus having a liquid ejection head, a laser radiation device, and a movement device, a plurality of ejection ports being defined in the liquid ejection head to face a substrate, a droplet of a liquid being ejected from each of the ejection ports onto the substrate, the laser radiation device radiating a laser beam onto the substrate, the movement device moving the substrate relative to the laser radiation device to send each of the droplets on the substrate to a radiating position of the laser beam, the apparatus comprising: 
 a light blocking member, the light blocking member blocking the laser beam that has been reflected by the substrate toward the corresponding ejection port to prevent the laser beam from reaching the ejection ports,    wherein the light blocking member is arranged across a straight line extending between each of the radiating positions and the corresponding one of the ejection ports, the ejection ports being aligned in a single line on a surface of the substrate, the light blocking member extending in the alignment direction of the ejection ports and encompassing all of the ejection ports.    
   
   
       9 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the light blocking member is detachable from a surface of the liquid ejection head.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the light blocking member is magnetically secured to the surface of the liquid ejection head.